Jazz in the Air, on the Street, and in the Community

                There is a cool scent in the air that only comes when summer turns toward autumn; it is the rich scent of damp earth and newly fallen leaves.  For me, it is a bittersweet fragrance because for, so many years, it was the precursor to months of darkness and social hibernation.  I have to wonder what adventures the winter will bring me here in my new hometown.  For now though, I will enjoy the last of the summer hurrahs.

                Saturday night one of those hurrahs was the Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival.  The festival is held each year in historic Webster Groves, a delightful area filled with restaurants and shops.  A friend and I wandered down to the festival in the middle of the afternoon, and found relatively easy parking back in the neighborhoods.  Since we didn’t see anyone toting around lawn chairs, we left ours in the car, grabbed our cameras and water bottles and headed towards the stages. 

There were two stages set up and rocking all afternoon and into the night.  The mix of music included classic and contemporary jazz, blues, and a bit of rock and roll.  The music was great and the people watching was excellent.  We found a couple of chairs and settled in for an afternoon of entertainment.

Up near the stage, there were couples swinging to the music and random people throughout the crowd would stand up in the middle of songs to dance along.  When the bands took breaks, there was a group of street musicians that wandered through the crowd ensuring that just because the main show wasn’t playing, the music was flowing.

I think that the best surprise of the afternoon was the Webster Groves High School Band.  They were very accomplished and smooth, and a joy to listen to.  Their repertoire was diverse and featured solos by various students throughout.

The food was awesome, and restaurants all through the district were open and busy.  We tried the homemade potato chips from CJMuggs, and they were addictive.  We also made a stop in at Dr. Jazz Ice Cream Parlor for a scoop of heaven on a waffle cone.  (Dr. Jazz is worth a trip to Webster Groves all by itself.)

Sadly, due to us both being a bit under the weather, we decided to leave before the headline acts performed, but this is something I am definitely putting on my calendar for next year.

Resources:

Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival: http://www.oldwebsterjazzfestival.com/cpsiteframepage.lasso?-token.lpuserref=114131.113118

CJ Muggs:  http://www.cjmuggs.com/

Dr. Jazz Ice Cream Parlor:  http://www.drjazzwebstergroves.com/